Folding chair



July 6, 1937. c. B. HARRELL FOLDING CHAIR Filed March 30, 1936 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented July 6, 1937 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

This invention relates to a folding chair and has for its principal object to provide a simple and cheap folding chair construction which shall be at the same time durable, strong and conven- 5 lent in operation.

A further object is to provide a novel form of latch construction for holding such folding chair in open position, permitting convenient operation of the same and at the same time forming a fold- 10 ing connection between the upper ends of the front legs and the seat frame.

A further object is to secure the advantages. of cheapness residing in locating the movable latch elements on the chair legs in a latch mechanism 15 of the type described.

A further object is to produce a construction in which sharp points or edges are readily avoided.

A still further object is to provide a latch construction which shall embody means serving to hold a fixed latch element in engagement with a rigid member, preferably a bracket plate pivotally connecting the front legs and the side elements of the seat frame, and more specifically to hold said latch element within a notch when the chair is 25 in open position and to close the notch when the chair is in the folded position.

Other and more limited objects will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter in connection with the accompanying drawing 30 wherein Fig. l is a central vertical section showing the chair in open position; Fig. 2 is a similar section showing it in folded position; Fig. 3 is a section corresponding substantially to the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sec- 35 tion showing the latch mechanism and adjacent portions of the chair and Fig. 5 is a section on the line 55 of Fig. 4.

In the drawing, the numeral it indicates generally a back frame comprising the rear legs and 4:0 chair back formed as a unit and consisting of upright elements II and transverse elements E2. The front legs l3 and I l are connected by a transverse member l5 and the front and rear legs are pivoted together adjacent the bottoms thereof by 45 a pivoting front rung l6 and a pivoting back rung I! connected by spaced elements l8 fixedly connected thereto. The seat frame is made up of a front seat frame element l9 and a single continuous U-shaped element 28 forming spaced side 5 seat frame elements and back frame element which may be suitably joined at its ends to the front seat frame element IS. A chair seat 2| may be secured in any suitable manner to the seat frame. Adjacent the rear of said frame, the same 55 is connected by suitable angle shaped plates 22,

which are fixed to the seat frame and pivoted as at 23, to the back frame 10.

Formed in the side seat frame elements 28 adjacent the front seat frame element I9 are shallow recesses 24 centrally of each of which is a screw 25 forming a fixed latch member. Registering with and in the plane with the recesses 25 are similar recesses 25a formed in the front legs. Secured by suitable screws 26 to the front legs l3 and it are hinge brackets'in the shape of angular plates 21 which have rearwardly projecting portions 28 pivoted as at 29 to the side seat frame elements 26 at a point spaced back from the front seat frame element I9 and behind the screws 25. Pivoted to the plates 21 as indicated at 39 are detents 3i which are received in the recesses 2d and 25a. These detents are normally urged in clockwise direction as seen in Fig. 4 by leaf springs 32 which are suitably connected to the plates 2? at the points 33 and 3E. The other ends of the springs 32 are received in notches in the detents 3!, as indicated at 35. These detents are provided with cam surfaces 36 of sufficient slope that upon engagement with the screws 25, r they will be pivoted against the action of the springs 32 in counterclockwise direction, thereby permitting the screws 25 to be received in notches 31 in the plates 21 without manual manipulation of the detents 3l. It will be seen from the foregoing, that the plates 21 not only constitute hinge brackets for pivoting the front legs to the side elements but that they also serve, in connection with the detents 38 and the notches 31, as part of the latching means between the front legs and the seat frame.

The plates 21 are provided with slots 38 through which pass the ends of a rod 39 fixedly connected to both said detents and extending parallel to the element l9 whereby said detents may be operated together, it being only necessary for the operator 4.0 to grasp the front seat frame element I9 and the rod 39 and squeeze them together in order to release the screws 25 from the slots 31 and the detents 3l. The front legs l3 and M may engage against the seat frame elements 20 for a greater solidity.

While I have shown and described the present preferred embodiment of my invention, I Wish it to be understood that the same may be realized in other forms and that I am not limited except in accordance with the appended claims and the prior art.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a folding chair, the combination of a 5 back, a seat frame pivoted thereto and including a pair of side elements, a pair of front leg elements, a bracket pivotally connecting each front leg element to a side frame element, a detent 'movably carried by each element of one pair of said elements, a fixed latch member comprising a. projection extending from and carried by each of the other of said pairs of elements and adapted When the chair is in open position to be brought into operative engagement with the cooperating detent and to bearagainst a surface of the adjacent bracket, and means for operating said detents to unlatch the same from the said fixed latch members.

2. In a folding chair, the combination of a back, a seat frame pivoted to said back and including side elements, front legs, a bracket pivotally connecting each front leg to a side element, a detent mounted on each of said brackets, fixed latch members comprising projections extending one from each of said side elements and adapted, when the chair is in open position, to be operatively engaged by said detents and to be held thereby in engagement with portions of said brackets, respectively, and means for simultaneously operating said detents; to unlatch the same from said fixed latch members.

3. In a folding chair, the combination'of a. back, a seat frame pivoted to said back and including side elements, front legs, a bracket pivotally connecting each front leg to a side element. a detent mounted on each of said brackets, fixed latch members comprising projections extending one from each of said side elements and adapted, when the chair is in open position, to be operatively engaged by said detents, each of said detents having a cam'surface adapted to engage a projection on the side element adjacent thereto thereby to force a portion of the bracket to which the detent is pivoted toward said projection, and

means for operating said detents to unlatch the same from said fixed latch members.

4. In a folding chair, the combination of a back, a seat frame pivoted to said back and including side elements, front legs, brackets secured to said front legs and pivotally connecting the same to said side elements, a detent mounted on each of said brackets, fixed latch members comprising projections extending from said side elements and adapted, when the chair is in open position, to be received beneath said detents, each of said brackets having a notch adapted and arranged to receive a projection therein, and means for simultaneously operating said detents to unlatch the same from said fixed latch members.

5. In a folding chair, the combination of a back, a seat frame pivoted to said back and including side elements, front legs, brackets secured to said front legs and pivotally connecting the same to said side elements, a detent pivotally mounted on each of said brackets, fixed latch members comprising projections extending from said side elements and adapted, when the chair is in open position, to be received beneath said detents and to be held in engagement with portions of said brackets, respectively, a spring carried by each bracket and connected to the detent thereon andtending to move the same in a direction to engage said detent with a projection,

and an operating rod connecting and common to both detents for moving the same simultaneously out of engagement With the fixed latch members.

6. In the combination claimed in claim 5, the said detents being pivotally connected to the outer sides of their respective brackets and the said bracketsbeing provided with slots through which the said operating rod extends. v

CLENNY B. HARRELL. 

